Hong Kong Island....

There are a number of islands making up Hong Kong....but it is Hong Kong Island that draws me today.  Hong Kong in Mandarin means Lovely smelling Harbour (yeah...really).  Well one thing for sure there is a lot of water and the number of boats is enomorous.  The population of Hong Kong?  Somewhere around 3 million..and I would say in the Kowloon, Hong Kong and the surrounding area it must be close to 5 to 6 million.  The people in Hong Kong are stacked....in one hi-rise after another.

The best view of Hong Kong Island and probably one of the best in the world is Victoria Park...the ride up passes one expensive home after another...and one more expensive condo after another.  But the view...awesome of Hong Kong, Kowloon and other nearby islands....here is a look....

The tallest building in Hong Kong is a 108 floor structure....featured in this photo....

2nd best goes to this 88 floor structure known as the "razor"....oh, and did you notice the tallest is 108 and this is 88....the number "8" is very lucky to Chinese and thus incorporated into these structures....

Now...not just for the architect in me...but more for the architect out there...not only would these two buildings be on the map...but this one...a condo with very unique design...

One last peek from Victoria Park....okay....one more...

Okay...now to the Aberdeen fishing village and out on "sanpan" to look at the vast floating community of boats, yachts, restaurants and of course sanpans.

The ride on the sanpan was unique...there were 8 people and a driver.  The driver...was a Chinese woman of about 60+...here she is at the helm of her sanpan.

She was also responsible for collecting the $55 HKD fee for each passenger.  And, she was fairly insistent when it came to paying....

We passed a "HUGE" floating restaurant in the harbour....and yes it is all one restaurant!!

There were various types of sanpan we passed...

Take a look at the roof of this sanpan I was aboard...oh yeah...it did have life vests!!

But the fishing boats were the major industry here in the the village and they were plentiful...most with their nets ready for tomorrows catch....

Anyone who has seen my photo collections knows I am very big on people...faces tell a story...a story of culture...a story of lifestyle...and a story that is hidden from us...but so much beauty in all those faces...such as these....

Okay....I did say there were yachts....take a look at this baby....all wrapped up and waiting for you...

Now a diversion to a jewelry factory....to see a jewelry workshop in action....first the workers putting together unique and interesting collections...

A closer look shows the molds they use to form their designs....

Then putting the individual touch to a designed product....

Sorry....no photography within the retail side of the factory....where there were huge collections of diamonds and other precious stones.

Finally....a visit to Stanley Market....which evolved from a fishing village.  It was the former British military garrison and now a very popular open air market...ready for the bargain hunter....

Here is my pic of the day....from all the boats in the harbour....I was unsure if this was a boat...a float...or just out there as a toy...check it out...

Hopefully all this will "wet" your appetite to come visit Asia....

A great BIG city - Hong Kong

On my way out of Bangkok Airport I had the time to snap a few pictures....these are more of the fantastic sculptures in the terminal.  These are just inside passport control and picture Thai men in what seems to be a "tug of war"....with a rather decorate man in the middle of the match....take a look...

Cool huh?

Okay....arrival in Hong Kong must have been too much for me...here I come out into the Arrival Hall looking for my hotel driver...Radisson....Radisson...where the heck is he?  Nowhere to be found....then I hear this voice say...."Mr. Ward??"  It is Hyatt...not Radisson Bob...Oh well...when I got to the room it was lovely....Radisson/Hilton/Hyatt/Mariott...yeah yeah yeah...

Here are my Hong Kong quarters....

So the next day it is off to the sights....sounds...and beauty of Hong Kong - The City!!

The best place to  get a feeling of the real Hong Kong is in the markets....tomorrow I will explore more of the "top sites"...but today it is all about where the Hong Kong people shop and what they deal with on
a daily basis....

First...how do you decide where to shop in Hong Kong as a resident?  All the markets I saw today were outstanding and this can be only a small portion serving this immense population.  Here is what one sees looking up and down the streets....a deluge of signs and advertising...

Not to mention the steps....the hills of Hong Kong are everywhere...and one finds a flight of steps awaiting them at every turn....

But fear not...if one looks long enough and far enough....there could be a moving sidewalk...that is a blessing....you may have to walk down....but not up...as seen below with moving walk on the left and steps on the right!!

Along the way one can also see today's laundry hanging to dry....

But it is the markets where I found some great sites....like fruit and vegetables...

....and take a look at this giant zucchini...the woman went ballistic after I took this....she has furious...did not have the guts or heart to take that photo...

Next up....meat....first the cooked...

and "Daffy" here never knew what happened...or know he would be featured as the special of the day....

How about some fresh uncooked meat...minus refrigeration....."...let me cut you a slice of that ...

Fish anyone?  These babies are fresh...like all still alive.....beautiful....

then....we have these guys waiting in the wings....oh yeah..."Not for SALE"!!

Scaffolding in Asia has always fascinated me....usually it is all bamboo and goes fairly high....now I see there is a combination of steel as well as bamboo..blended together...

Transportation in Hong Kong is very efficient....Taxi...Train...and these street cars or trams....

Late in the day and back at the hotel...here are some views of the Sha Tin area of the city skyline....hi-rise after hi-rise....I will never forget my first visit to Hong Kong back in the mid 1990's..the airport was nestled in an area of the city where 747's had to navigate down with hi-rise after hi-rise on each side of the plane...and as I looked out the window at that time I could see families enjoying dinner!!! YES...it is true...and also the runway was a "one-way"...one way in and one way out....Today is a far different story.  The Hong Kong airport is a state of the art facility built in the waters of Hong Kong....some pictures before I leave....

Here are those views from my hotel...

Finally....beauty....of flowers.  Orchids are a mainstay of Asia....and they are very plentiful....so many that you often find blossoms on your bed...in your bath...or just an entire plant to  savour...